It lowered its head slightly and gave another short squeak as it stared at them.
Finally, Austin gave the command: “Now.”
Chapter Thirty-three
1st of Eren, 29th year of the Fourth Age.
All three archers loosed their shots. Daniel’s arrow was on the mark while Jane’s went high and clattered harmlessly against the beast’s antlers. The monster screamed at them as it reached for its eye. Meanwhile, Austin’s dart managed to hit it in the shoulder, but it was to no avail. It simply bounced off its skin and fell harmlessly to the ground. With jittery motions that looked like a nightmare come to life, the wirvus moved toward them at an alarming speed.
Claudia and Clara both ran the fuses of their chosen ingera across the spark stone at their belts. When the fuses lit, they threw them in one smooth motion so they landed in front of the wirvus as it came at them. Had it not been for the size of the tunnel, the creature would have surely reached them by now. Since it was forced to crouch, however, it moved slowly enough that by the time it reached the orbs, the fire had burned to the flash powder stored inside their centers, creating an explosion right beneath it.
Each orb had a different concoction inside. One exploded into a cloud of dark mist, while the other burst into globs of fire that stuck to the walls and the torso of the wirvus, continuing to burn. The sudden fire and choking mist caused the beast to reel back and scream again. It flared an arm forward in an attempt to ward off the pain.
Kenneth shouted, “Keep firing!”
Daniel and Jane broke out of their trance and each nocked another arrow. They didn’t bother to aim for the eyes while the creature was thrashing around. They fired and nocked another and then another as quickly as they could, but each arrow simply bounced off the creature’s hide with no effect. It didn’t even seem to notice their attack as the fire on its body started to subside, leaving the flesh underneath simply charred and blackened but otherwise unharmed.
“It’s not working! What are we supposed to do?” Griffon growled.
Kenneth shouted as he raised his shield higher, “Stand your ground, lass!”
Clara took a step back. “Shouldn’t we head back to the city?” she said. “There has to be another way out!”
The wirvus shrieked at them, cutting off any further discussion. The sound was loud enough that Daniel had to cover his ears. When it subsided, his ears still rang loud enough that no other sound could be heard. The wirvus charged at them. When it was close enough it lashed out with a clawed hand at Kenneth. The size of the tunnel restricted its movement so that the swipe was clumsy. Kenneth was able to duck beneath it and swing his sword as the arm went over. The blade bit into the beast’s skin, but not enough to do any more than simply irritate it.
“Back up!” Kenneth shouted.
The group complied without hesitation. Arrows did nothing to help and the scholar ingera couldn’t be used in such close proximity without endangering all of them. Zachery jabbed at the creature’s chest with his longsword as he retreated, but the point didn’t bite into the skin. The hide was far thicker and stronger than Daniel would have thought possible, given how frail it looked. The wirvus grabbed the sword by the blade and ripped it from Zachery’s grip before throwing it against the tunnel wall. It then used its forearm to slam into Kenneth’s shield and Zachery’s chest, sending them both to the ground in a heap.
Claudia used their newfound distance to throw another ingera directly at the wirvus. The thin shell shattered on impact, spreading thick, black ooze across its face and neck. It shrieked and clawed at its face, attempting to peal the ooze away, but only managed to spread the substance to its hands. Daniel didn’t know what the ooze was made of, but it sizzled loudly and caused the wirvus to thrash against the confines of the tunnel. It seemed to be the same type of ingera that Hawk used on the dragon previously, but the skin of the wirvus did not offer the same protection as dragon scales. Austin helped the wardens to their feet while the creature was distracted. They all started to back away—save for Kenneth, who took a step forward.
“Get ready to run past it,” he said. “I’ll keep it distracted.”
Austin looked at him, dumbfounded. “Past it” Are you mad? We need to run away from it!”
“Where?” Kenneth said. “Back into the city and into the maw of a dragon and a horde of Kridens and cultists? Forward is the only way out. You know that.”
Daniel felt a new wave of sorrow wash over him. He was about to protest, but Claudia spoke his thoughts for him. “You’ll die.”
The wirvus resumed its approach in spite of the ooze still burning away its skin.
“Not if I kill it first.”
The creature was only a few feet away when it suddenly reached with an arm for Griffon. Kenneth placed his shield in front of her, but the creature’s bony fingers went right through it and embedded in Kenneth’s forearm. Daniel was stunned. It pierced Dragon Guard steel with ease. Kenneth didn’t cry out but simply gritted his teeth and grunted against the pain. He tried to pull the wirvus toward the wall to open a pathway. With his free arm, he raised his sword and chopped at the creature’s face, driving it back to the stone bricks.
“Go!” he shouted.
Kenneth’s efforts weren’t in vain as the beast moved to the right of the tunnel as Kenneth pulled on its arm and chopped at its face. Claudia pushed everyone forward, but the size of the passage barely allowed them room to pass. They had to duck under the creature’s back legs as they hurried by. Zachery snatched up his sword as they passed. When they were on the other side, Daniel glanced back. The wirvus lifted the arm attached to Kenneth, its hand still stuck in his shield, and slammed him against the wall. Kenneth’s head jerked back and hit the stone as the hand of the wirvus slid free of the shield.
Yet Kenneth continued to fight. He lifted his sword again and jabbed at the creature’s good eye. Even in his stunned state, he was able hit his target. When the blade pierced, the beast screamed again. In pure fury, it slammed Kenneth against the wall again and again with increasing force. Kenneth released his sword so that it hung awkwardly from the creature’s eye socket. It then let Kenneth slump to the floor. The huge warden was alive but dazed.
In spite of the urgency to leave, Daniel felt rooted in place. He sensed a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t know whose it was, only that it was attempting to drag him away. But he continued to watch even though his mind and body urged him to move. Kenneth struggled to his feet. With his battered arm, he slammed his shield into the blind creature’s head, making it jerk to one side and dislodging the sword from its eye, sending it bouncing across the bodies littering the ground. The wirvus struck out blindly, slamming its hands and arms into the spot where Kenneth had been.
But Kenneth was moving. He rolled to the side and grabbed a fallen city guard’s sword before rising again. Apparently unable to see, the wirvus was digging its claws into each nearby corpse to ensure everything in the area was dead as it searched for its still-living prey. It started to make its way toward Daniel and the others, but as it did so a clanging echoed in the tunnel. There was no other sound to be heard. Each clang felt like a stab into Daniel’s heart.
“Over here, you Shade-cursed freak!” Kenneth shouted as he slammed his sword against his shield.
The wirvus turned in the tunnel as quickly as it could toward him before resuming its terrifying crawl. Kenneth was too weak to run, so he stood his ground and waited for the beast. Daniel felt himself moving again. He couldn’t bring himself to look back when he heard Kenneth scream in fury, or when the scream was cut off and fell silent.
Daniel ran after the figures in front of him through eyes blurring with tears. He stepped over bodies and tried to avoid looking into their lifeless faces as they stared up at him. They all slipped in pools of blood several times as they ran through the dark. The wirvus bugled in triumph behind them. He heard it resume its
pursuit. It was a scene out of a nightmare, being chased by some un-killable monster through an inescapable tunnel full of death. But this was a nightmare he wouldn’t wake up from. Now he doubted that any of them would live through this.
In spite of it all, Daniel managed to turn his eyes behind them to see that the wirvus had already closed the distance. It moved with the same sporadic and twitching motions as before, which only added to the nightmarish feel of the situation. It didn’t matter that it was blind. It was a straight passage, so it was only a matter of time before it reached them. As they ran, Clara reached into her bag and pulled another ingera out. She lit the fuse on her belt and dropped it into the mass of bodies. Daniel glanced back and saw it explode as the wirvus passed over it, again sending out more fire. But this time the beast paid no mind to the flames and kept up its pursuit. It was angry now. Daniel could see the air before its mouth and nose fog as it gasped in its hurried and frenzied state, hungry to reach its prey.
After only a few more moments, it was close enough to try to grab at them. It reached for Daniel’s head, but he ducked under its hand and kept running. Then the inevitable happened. Jane lost her footing. She slipped in a pool of blood and wasn’t able to regain her balance before falling. Daniel and Zachery had been the only two behind her and when she fell, they tripped over and past her. Daniel pushed himself up and looked behind him at Jane, who lay atop several bodies and struggled to rise as the wirvus stopped directly over her, its nose and mouth just above her, smelling the air.
Jane rolled onto her back and froze in fear. The monster opened its mouth wide and bore down, ripping chunks from her flesh as she screamed loud and long before being cut silent as the creature finally bit on her throat. Daniel’s eyes were wide in horror. He felt Zachery grab him by the arm, lift him to his feet, and force him to resume their run. Daniel glanced over his shoulder and saw the creature lift its head, its mouth still dripping blood, before it screamed again, spewing bits of flesh, and resumed its pursuit.
“I see the way out!” Austin called from the front of the group.
Daniel strained his eyes. At the end of the tunnel was a ladder.
“We have to deal with the wirvus!” Claudia shouted. “If we get out in the open with it we’re finished!” Austin didn’t look back as they ran. “How?”
Daniel knew Claudia was right. The only reason they’d lived this long was thanks to Kenneth and the confines of the tunnel, which slowed the wirvus down enough to let them stay just out of its reach. Out in the open, the beast would be able to move freely, which meant it would be twice the speed they were if not faster. Even without its sight, it could track them by smell and hearing alone. If it shrieked above ground, surely the Kridens or Disciples would hear and quickly bear down upon them. They would have no chance. Yet they also had no way to kill it.
Claudia reached into her bag and pulled out another ingera before coming to a stop. “Austin, get everyone up the ladder!” she said. She took the bag from her shoulder and held it in one hand.
Daniel passed her and stumbled to a stop before turning to her. “Claudia,” he said, “what are you doing?”
“Go, Daniel! I’ll be fine!”
He felt a hand grip his shoulder again and turned to see Austin moving him down the tunnel toward the exit as the others continued past. “You heard her,” he said. “Let’s go!”
“We can’t leave her!”
“Shut up and go!”
With a hard shove, Daniel was forced to keep moving while he continued to look behind him at Claudia. She stood in front of the creature as it steadily came closer. It stopped just in front of her and smelled the air. She stood defiant as it caught her scent and pressed its nose against her cheek, taking long and deep sniffs. Then it screamed in her face. Without hesitation, she drove a hand into its mouth. It bit down, severing her hand at the wrist, then lifted its head to swallow as she screamed in pain and fell backwards.
The wirvus screamed again and was about to go after her a second time, no doubt spurred on by the smell of her blood. But something happened. It stopped. It lurched in place for a moment, then started to thrash around the tunnel while clawing at its own chest and stomach. It shrieked the most horrifying and hollow sound Daniel had ever heard. The sound of its cry made his breath catch in his throat. The wirvus knelt down and slammed its head against the wall while ripping chunks out of its own gut.
Daniel tore away from Austin, ran to Claudia’s side, and helped her to her feet. He led her away as the wirvus kicked and swung its arms and legs in a blind and painful flurry. Austin ran over and together with Daniel they got Claudia to the ladder, where she started to climb while clutching her bloody stump to her chest. Austin started up next before Daniel followed. He glanced back at the creature. It had finally managed to reach into its own stomach. All Daniel saw was fire burning away its insides as it slowly sank to its knees before falling forward and going still.
He turned and started to climb. When he reached the top, he found himself in a short, narrow crack in the rocks with the stars above him. The space was just barely large enough for him to climb through and stand up straight. Through gap he could see the hints of the ocean beyond. He turned sideways and shimmied his way forward between the two rock walls. He stumbled out of the crag and onto the shore. He’d nearly landed on top of a body. It took him several seconds to realize who he was looking at. His heart lurched again. Obadiah stared up at him with a blank expression and blood pooled beneath him in the rocky sand. Daniel realized it was soaking his hands. He jumped backwards into the rock where he struggled to breathe. His heart beat so fast he feared it would leap out of his chest.
The area around them was littered with bodies, just like in the tunnel. Snow was falling and had begun to hide the carnage with a blanket of pure white. Daniel shook his head, trying to shake away the death he saw in his mind every time he blinked. He wanted to snow to fall heavier and quickly hide everything in front of him. He again felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Griffon, pulling him onward. Her face was downcast and she kept her eyes on her feet. They all went as quickly as they could down the length of the beach, away from the city and into the cover of the nearby trees, with Claudia being supported by Aaron and Austin.
Daniel looked at the water and for the first time saw the fleet of ships the Kridens had used to reach Edaren. Hundreds of them were anchored in the water, with at least twice as many skiffs lining the docks along the cliff. Daniel saw several people silhouetted against the stars on the ships, but none of them seemed to notice the survivors of Vigil as they made for the forest just past the city. When they were far enough into the trees, they stopped. Clara reached into her bag and started treating the mangled spot where Claudia’s hand had been minutes earlier.
Daniel sat down next to a tree and stared through the foliage toward the city walls. He could see the tower at the center of the city rising over the walls, with the red dragon, Geiod, perched atop it. He sat calmly, looking out over the city as it burned around him. There were no more Kridens on the outside of the walls as far as Daniel could tell. Those that weren’t on the ships were more than likely sweeping the city. He imagined their lack of presence outside was either due to the fact that they didn’t think anyone would escape the city or that they didn’t care. Daniel guessed the latter.
Whoever did manage to escape would pose no threat to them at this point. Vigil was finished. The Dragon Guard was wiped out save for a ranger, a wounded scholar, and a handful of novices who hadn’t even finished their training. Daniel looked at each one of them in turn. Clara was still treating Claudia. Griffon was looking toward the city with her hands balled into fists. Aaron stood next to her, his arms crossed. Austin was pacing off to one side and Zachery was staring absentmindedly into the trees. They were all broken. They finally weren’t running from something or fighting for their lives, which meant it was a moment for everything that had happened to fully s
ink in.
Kenneth and Jane had fallen below. Obadiah was dead. The captains and the commander had fought with and, as far as Daniel was aware, killed Geieg, the copper dragon, but they had more than likely fallen in doing so. With Geiod atop the keep tower, that had to mean that Argera too had fallen. Alan had died in the city right in front of Daniel while he stood there, unable to do anything to stop it.
He looked at Zachery again. He hated that he hadn’t be able prevent what had happened to his brother. It was his fault. It was something his training hadn’t focused on, to face an enemy head on. Daniel was trained to kill the unaware and unarmed before they knew he was even there, from the shadows and at a distance. He looked down at himself. His armor, clothes, and hands were covered in dried blood. None of it was his. Suddenly, in a type of panic, he frantically dug into the small snowdrifts beneath the trees and tried to clean his hands, to try to wash it all away, hoping that maybe it would clear the memories from his mind.
“Now what do we do?” Griffon spoke with a shaky tone through gritted teeth.
Austin stopped pacing and sighed deeply. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I need time to think.”
Aaron looked at him in shock. “Think?” he said. “You want to take time to think about it?”
Austin glared at him. “Aaron. What would you have us do? Charge into the city to die?”
“No, of course not! But we don’t have time to think. We have to do something now, while we can!”
Guards Vestige Page 41